Gary Richards to serve as the President of LiveStyle’s U.S. operations

The news that Richards and Live Nation had called it quits surfaced about a month ago, when Richards and the promotional entity formally ended their operating agreement. Despite Richards’ accreditation as the founder of the HARD Events brand, HARD remains a Live Nation holding.

Richards has now officially set up camp at LiveStyle, SFX Entertainment’s rebrand, where he will serve as the company’s President for its US operations. Richards will oversee LiveStyle’s existing U.S. festivals while working to innovate new events on the West Coast. The newly minted president was spotted at this weekend’s ninth edition of New York’s Electric Zoo festival, just one of the festivals that Richards will manage in his new role.

LiveStyle’s acquisition of Richards represents a closure long sought by LiveStyle’s President/CEO, Randy Phillips. “…this is a delayed goal for me since I tried to make a deal with Gary 10 years ago while I was running AEG Live,” Phillips said of bringing Richards on board. “Not only is he an accomplished working DJ (DJ Destructo), he is a very astute businessman with an affinity to his fellow artists.”

The change in landscape is a welcome one for Richards, who notably tweeted a picture taken at Electric Zoo this weekend with the caption “new beginnings.”

About the Author: Rachel Narozniak

Dancing Astronaut represents the union of Rachel's two passions: writing, and electronic music. A recent graduate of Rutgers University, Rachel is currently pursuing her Master's degree in English at The George Washington University in Washington, DC. Rachel is an Editor at Large for "DA."